openings past they stood together in the gently falling snow and watched the ambulance pull away, it's lights flashing but it's siren off. "that's how you know it's real bad, but not the worst," he said. "how do you mean?" "well either she's still conscious but in a really bad way and they don't want to spook her with the noise of the sirens, or she's not and they are rushing to the hospital for one last attempt to revive her." as the ambulance approached the intersection the flashing lights went out. "well, that's it then. she's gone to a better place now. i wonder who will get her apartment now that there's an opening." "charles! how can you be so cold. i thought you and margaret are friends!" his companion was aghast. "we were. when you've been here as long as me, you see a lot of people come and go. have i ever told you about cecilia?" "no, were you close?" "after joan died, my heart shriveled up. we were married forty years you know. you don't just bounce back from that. i woke up next to her. or her body. and i just shut off. we both said we wanted to die in the house we raised our kids, but i couldn't be there any more with her ghost. so i got my son to put me on the list for here. independent assisted living. it had a nice ring to it. plus joan and i used to skate in the park just there." "oh god rick, that's tough." "well we all have our sorrows here. anyways after i moved in, cece took me under her wing. she was the first person to make me laugh again. my heart opened like a flower at the new dawn. god i miss her sometimes." "what happened?" "she died. they found her in her bed." "oh no." "and then a week later you moved into her room." they stood in silence, the gentle snow falling between them. 221214 what's it to you? who go blather from